Sango's Song
by Initial A
Summary: After Miroku deserts her in battle, Sango is conflicted between a warrior's pride and a woman's heart. Mir/San, with hints of Inu/Kag.


**Sango's Song**

**By: InitialA/TuxedoUranus89**

**Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha!**

**Author's Note: I've never written a predominately Sango/Miroku story, surprisingly, even though I love their pairing. Hinted at the pairing, but I find them harder to write than InuYasha and Kagome for some reason. However, Sango and I had a bonding moment in my head the other night, so I decided to go with this. This set well before Miroku proposes to Sango. Enjoy!**

Winding one of Kagome's bandages around what would become her latest scar; Sango gritted her teeth and tied it off tightly. She didn't want to let on to the others that it was worse than she had originally thought. Call it a pride thing and the houshi was too busy making sure the villagers, namely the women, were safe to care much, Kagome was performing her usual medical services, and InuYasha…well, who knew what he was doing, but he wasn't here and he wasn't about to rat her out. She hoped he respected her enough not to do that.

Her jaw settled into a tight line as she heard Houshi-sama's laughter drift towards her ears. '_Always a second thought, that's me. Oh, no, Houshi-sama, my leg doesn't hurt in the least. Don't worry about me, go find the woman you'll spend tonight with, with no regard for me…_' she thought angrily, grunting with the effort to get up.

Sango used Hiraikotsu as a partial crutch and stiffly walked over to see what she could do to help Kagome, doing her best to ignore Miroku's flirting. "Sango, I need an extra pair of hands. Could you hold this splint steady for me while I wrap it?" Kagome asked distractedly, grasping for supplies in her bag.

She did as she was asked, since she'd been taught from birth to do as a healer said, and trained or not, Kagome was the next best thing. In no time the splint was set, and the boy, not much younger than her brother, gave them a watery smile. Kagome ruffled his hair, telling him he was brave for not making any noise and moved on to her next patient. Sango followed obediently and focused all her senses on helping. Kagome noticed the hard line of her best friend's mouth, but wisely didn't say anything. She was bothered by Miroku's behavior as well and she wasn't even in love with the houshi.

The man of the hour sauntered over to the girls just as they were finishing with their final patient. "Ah, ladies, if you were wondering, I have arranged for our accommodations for the night. The innkeeper was most generous and granted us two rooms in exchange for saving the village."

"No funny business, right, Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked, her voice only carrying a hint of ice.

He frowned. "Now, Kagome-sama, why would I do that when he offered first? InuYasha did all the hard work, I just smoothed things over. We'll have no problems, and you ladies can have your baths and a roof over your heads for the night."

Sango said nothing as she stood and did her best not to limp towards the inn. Kagome bit her lip worriedly and shoved the rest of her supplies in her bag, hurrying after her friend.

*~*~*~*

The taijiya didn't touch her mug of tea, staring absently at the fireflies drifting around the inn's garden. Her thoughts drifted around, circling the one she didn't want to focus on right now: Miroku.

Her eyebrows came together in thought. She was pretty, wasn't she? At least, Sango hoped the glances from the young men in the villages they visited were approving ones. Okay, she had her fair share of battle wounds and scars, the one on her leg only one of many more to come. She was actually lucky she was able to walk so well, though she was sure it would take plenty of exercise to get the muscle back into top condition. She'd be riding Kirara for a while, but she was just as able to fight from the air as she was from the ground, and Kirara wouldn't let anything happen to her. Not like Miroku.

Her frown deepened while she clenched her skirt tightly. She'd been right there next to him. She trusted him to watch her back, but the second that youkai had taken a swipe at her, she'd been sent rolling across the ground like her favorite childhood doll, and Miroku was several yards from where he'd initially been. He'd been defending a young woman who'd been foolish enough to leave the hiding place. And here she was, several hours and a few ounces of lost blood later, sitting alone in the garden, while he was probably off womanizing yet again.

She wasn't being entirely fair, she knew. It wasn't like she _needed_ to depend on him to watch her back. The women here probably didn't even know which way a sword was supposed to be handled. She could certainly handle herself in battle; she'd had to prove that over and over again. She just…appreciated having someone there to make sure she was going to be ok, someone who actually cared enough if she got hurt and not just because there'd be one less fighter. Not that she'd needed the backup much; it was perfection or dishonor and failure in her father's eyes.

'_What is it with men, anyway?_' She wondered idly, sipping the cool tea.

It seemed like she was always fighting for approval among the men folk. She knew by her age, she should have been married and having children by now. Had that happened, though, she would probably be dead. Most of the women of her village, while they knew how to fight, retired upon marriage. The few who didn't retire when they took up with their men, definitely did when they started having children. It was strange when she wasn't courted by her age-mates and companions, until she later realized that they thought her as just another one of the men. She'd made a point to keep her armor a feminine color, despite her rank among the men; and it certainly wasn't as if her figure wasn't on display with her suit. It was only later, after overhearing InuYasha comment on how he relied on her in a fight more than the houshi or Kagome that she realized her companions might have respected her too much to court her.

Then there was her father. He'd originally disapproved of her willingness to fight, but it took a few years, some guilt-tripping, and dozens of youkai kills on her own to prove her worthy. Sango smiled, remembering the first time her father had given her point in a youkai hunt. It had caused some grumbling among the men, but it wasn't until she noticed her father wasn't doing anything about it that she realized it was a true test of her leadership abilities. Needless to say, the men had shut up after she was done with them. The smile broke into a grin at the memory of ten grown men cowering at a fourteen-year-old girl-child and her temper.

The grin faded when her thoughts returned to Miroku. Maybe it was her age that distracted him from asking for her hand. She wasn't that far from her twentieth year, spinster age for a woman of her time. She consoled herself with the fact that he flirted with women of any age; from asking the young to bear his children, to listening to the old ladies tell him of their younger beauty. She allowed herself to smile. A lecher he might be, but even she had to admit that it was sweet when he offered an attentive ear to the village elders…even when his eyes might be wandering to the younger generations nearby. And that was the kicker. He had too many women on his mind when she desperately wanted to be the only one he ever thought about. She often wondered if she could ask InuYasha what he smelled on Miroku when he returned from his nightly jaunts through a village, but she could never work up the nerve do so. Better to wonder than to know and have her heart shattered.

She stiffened slightly when the shouji behind her slid open and quiet footsteps led the body to sit next to her. "I hope I'm not intruding," he said quietly.

She shook her head, not trusting her voice. She knew where he'd been. He was still radiating heat from the hot springs behind the inn where he had washed away the perfumes of the local women so she wouldn't know. Sango waited to feel his hand on her bottom, but he merely sat, watching the fireflies dance. "You looked upset earlier," he said finally.

"I was not upset, Houshi-sama," she said quietly.

He turned her chin so he could look her in the eye. That was a dirty trick. Violet eyes were unsure, his cocked eyebrow suggesting he didn't believe her. Sango swallowed hard. "I was fighting back…back pain from my injury." she whispered.

Black brows clicked together. "You were injured?"

Her mouth hardened. "Yes. You might have noticed if you had been watching my back like I expected you to, instead of being off with the women. I might have had some kind of warning, instead of suddenly having a paw twice the size of my head smash into me and leave a gash through my calf," she snapped, turning away.

She felt his hand on her knee and she jerked away. "Don't touch me."

"Sango," Miroku said quietly. "Please look at me."

"No."

"Sango, please, I just want to see."

"I've had worse. You just want the chance to gawp at bare legs," she snapped, blushing furiously.

Miroku sighed and said nothing. Several tense minutes passed before she stole a glance at his hands. They were folded neatly in his lap, his thumbs battling each other for dominance. Sango sighed exasperatedly and folded her legs up onto the wood. Bending one leg in protectively, she stuck out the injured one. "Be quick and I'll cut anything off if it strays." She threatened, her cheeks flaming.

He gave her a wounded look and then set to work untying the bandages. She grimaced, knowing she'd have to replace them after, especially since these were already caked in blood. Her face grew redder as his fingers lightly grazed her skin.

"This need to be sewn," Miroku murmured, careful not to touch the gash. "It's going to get infected."

"I was going to get to that, after I bathed," she muttered, blushing. "Kagome's gotten better with her stitching…"

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "You'd trust Kagome to stitch this?"

"I've taught her!" she replied defensively.

"On cloth, which is almost nothing like human flesh, correct?" He held up his cursed hand. "I like to think I know a trick or two when it comes to that."

Sango pursed her lips, fighting off her pink-stained cheeks. "Fine…on one condition."

"By all means, name your terms."

"You will stay here until I get back." She stood, biting the inside of her lip when she put weight on her leg.

Kagome wasn't in their room when she went to get her bathing things. The shouji to the other room was partially closed, and she could hear Kagome and InuYasha talking quietly to one another. Sango smiled to herself. It was rare that the two were alone and not arguing, and frankly it was a pleasant change. Kagome was gentling their rough hanyou and only a fool could miss the quiet happiness that radiated around them when they were together.

The water bit into her wound, cleaning it. She winced, but gritted her teeth and scrubbed it clean with Kagome's soaps before cleaning the rest of her body. When she was fully clean, she soaked for a bit, putting off the inevitable for as long as possible. Her fingers were starting to prune when she finally decided she couldn't avoid it any longer.

Miroku was meditating when she returned to the garden. One eye cracked open as she approached. "Shall we do this here, or somewhere with more light?" he asked.

Sango retreated into the empty room. She found the numbing medicines in Kagome's bag and shoved the washcloth in her mouth before applying it. Miroku stood in the doorway, watching her gnaw on the cloth while the medicine burned and finally settled. "All set?" he questioned.

Surprisingly enough, the houshi was completely professional. Sango kept the cloth in her mouth to bite on, so the procedure was mostly a silent one. Miroku even wrapped a new bandage around the stitches after he was finished. She sat up. "Thank you…"

He bowed his head. "Think of it as an apology for not keeping a close enough eye on you during today's fight."

Her cheeks turned pink. "I can take care of myself," she muttered.

A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "Of course you can, my dear Sango. However, I feel more than partly responsible, and so I apologize."

It was a small gesture, but appreciated. "I appreciate the apology… It isn't fair for me to feel bitter when you possibly saved that woman's life. You knew I could handle myself better than she could."

Sango flushed again when she met his eyes. Such boyish innocence when his smiles reached his eyes, an irresistible charm.

He gently took her hand. "I trust your abilities as a warrior, Sango. That being said, it tore at me inside when I had to leave your side."

The 'mood', as Kagome was always going on about, abruptly ended. Sango withdrew her hand and looked away, biting her tongue.

Miroku blinked. "Did I say something to upset you, Sango?"

Her lips pursed, and the words escaped before she could stop them. "I'm sure it tore you up inside, Houshi-sama, as much as it's torn you up so many times in the past!" she snapped. "Tell me, Houshi-sama, how many times can one's insides be torn before they finally stay that way?"

His eyes widened. "Sango, I—"

"No, I have had enough, Houshi!" She stood, and stamped her foot for good measure; in her anger, however, she'd forgotten the numbed leg, and promptly toppled over.

She shoved his hands away, furious and embarrassed, as she sat up and turned from him. "Just answer me one thing, Houshi…"

"Of course," his voice was a low as hers.

"Were you with another woman tonight? The truth, if you please."

He was silent for a few moments, and cold disappointment spread through her chest. '_I will not cry._' she told herself firmly. '_I will not give him the satisfaction to see how he has hurt me._'

Finally, he cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his voice was as quiet as before. "Was I in the presence of other females tonight? Yes."

The cold-knife in her chest twisted around some more, and she braced herself. "Was I with another woman in the sense that you mean? No."

She wasn't sure if she believed him. The thawing in her breast made her hopeful, but she had been swayed by pretty words before. "I'll get InuYasha," she threatened softly.

"I will swear on whatever you wish me to, my dear Sango. I only speak the truth."

Hesitantly, Sango turned to look at him. His face was schooled to its usual calm and he met her eyes squarely. '_Either he's been telling this lie so long that it doesn't faze him any longer…or he's really telling the truth…_' she thought. "I…"

He allowed himself a small smile. "You mistrust me, Sango. And you have the right to. I admit to having a specialty with lies and deceit, but know that I am always honest to a fault with you."

The blush returned and she stared hard at the ground. "And if I suspect that is a lie?"

The rustle of cloth wasn't enough to make Sango look up so Miroku firmly, but gently, took her chin with his hand and looked her in the eye. "Then you will not believe me when I say that while I appear to rove in other directions, my heart has been yours since the first time you clouted me."

And with that, his lips were upon hers. The electricity that shot from her lips through her body was enough to physically jolt her. Warmth bloomed in her chest and spread through her body. And then…then it was over and he was leaving without another word.

When Kagome, carrying a slumbering Shippou and Kirara, entered the room some time later, Sango sat there still, staring wide-eyed and flushed towards the doorway. Recognizing the look on her friend's face, Kagome only smiled with happiness, and quietly went to bed.

*~*~*~*

The next morning, Sango mulled over the confusion she was experiencing in silence. Kirara glided along gently; the group was in no hurry, and the swell of success was still putting a spring into InuYasha's step that curbed his usual snapping at the 'lazy humans'.

'_The first time…anyone has ever kissed me…and he leaves without another word! And just what am I supposed to think about that?!_' Sango thought, chewing her bottom lip in frustration.

The houshi in question didn't appear to be having any conflict with his actions from the night before, walking calmly behind InuYasha and throwing a new layer of dirt over his staff. Sango thought, and fretted, and worried all through the morning and their break for midday. As they were putting out their cook-fire, Miroku approached her and murmured to her, "Do you mind if I share a ride with you? I am a bit tired from our brisk pace this morning."

She frowned slightly. 'Brisk' was not the term for their stroll through the forest, but it would be rude to reject him, especially after…Sango shook her head fiercely to clear those thoughts and gave her permission.

The afternoon was fairly quiet, with Kagome's usual chatter filling the otherwise silent forest. Sango looked down and smiled when she noticed Kagome's little finger laced with InuYasha's while Shippou snoozed on InuYasha's shoulder, the two ignorant to their audience from above. She started when Miroku's hand took her own. She looked back at him and he nodded to the mismatched pair below, his smirk saying everything. Sango turned to look ahead. She flushed and shivers ran down her spine when he spoke softly into her ear.

"You worry about last night. I meant every bit of it."

The ember of hope flared again inside her chest. Perhaps he did mean it after all. And perhaps he'd walked away for the sake of her honor. It was a new concept to her, but one she might get used to. The giddy grin turned into a scowl in a matter of moments, though, at a familiar sensation…

"Hentai!"

Sango rubbed her back in annoyance. The odd angle she'd had to twist to punch the houshi in the shoulder wasn't a comfortable one. '_**Maybe**__ he walked away for the sake of my honor last night…but he seems to have forgotten about that pretty quickly!_' she thought grumpily.

Kagome's laughter below, however, caused her to smile and roll her eyes. '_He'll never change…but maybe I like it that way…_'

**((Hmm, this turned out a bit differently than I thought. However, still close enough to make me happy enough to finish it. I hope you liked it; whenever I think of Sango, I always see her as this pensive, slightly dreamy person, and I tried to portray that aspect of her as much as possible; she's usually portrayed as this quick-to-anger female, with little else to her personality but kindness, and I wanted to try to delve deeper into her character. I also sympathize with her, and used my own thoughts about working in a predominantly-male field for her ponderings about men in general. (she's a warrior, I'm a computer tech. She kills stupid beings, and I wish I could) And, in a roundabout way, it ended up with some Miroku/Sango fluff. I regret portraying Miroku as more of a pervert than I see him as, but as this is from Sango's POV, I couldn't turn him into a more 3D character. Anyway, reviews are always, always welcome!! Happy reading!!))**

**((P.S. And don't come to me with 'Kagome and InuYasha would never hold hands so early into the manga! It's so OOC!!' Actually, they did. And if you read the fan-subbed version of chapter 176, InuYasha mentions that they'll be breaking up. (I can't find my English copy, so I can't quote that) And they held hands at the end of that chapter. And that they're doing it in front of others… well, I'm a romantic. =)))**


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